A VLOM framework for Cambodia

It has been realised over the past decade that the benefits of water supplies from public village handpumps are not being achieved due to failure of maintenance systems. Centralised, government run maintenance systems have failed due to high operating costs, poor communications between users and the maintenance department, and lack of care by the users through misconceptions of “ownership” of the pump. To solve these problems the concept of Village Level Operation and Maintenance and Management (VLOM) has gradually evolved, along with the technical development of handpumps suitable for maintenance by users. (IRC, 1988). In Cambodia, a wide ranging definition of VLOM with a comprehensive list of activities necessary to achieve it was developed in a special project involving all the agencies working in the water and sanitation sector. Although the project focused on handpumps, the principles can be applied to any type of water supply.